The Past, Present, And The Future
by Scarlet Phlame
Summary: You can alter the past to change the future... but you can never alter the future to change the past. What if Emma looked at Regina's memories that night and found out the real truth? Things take a turn, for better, or for worse. (I do not own anything.) STABLE QUEEN. Will Regina find out who she truly is, or will she fall short, just inches away from finding happiness? COMPLETE.
1. Every Story Begins With A Wish

You can alter the past to change the future... but you can never alter the future to change the past. Looking out the window of her car at Henry and Emma... she wondered why it was that she realized this only now? She had already lost so much... Daniel... that was already everything. Which was what made it all so sad, because everyone she loved had been lost because they had loved her... Daniel... Her father... the Genie... even Cora. And now, Henry. She couldn't believe what had happened, sitting in that room, listening to Emma talk about Archie, but it had all been a blur. She felt lightheaded and dizzy in that moment, she felt that this could not be happening.

And then when Emma came to tell her she had seen it. Seen her kill him. She didn't know how, how could she? But she knew who, and that was Gold. Why? Why this, why now? How could this be happening? She slammed her foot against the brake in frustration, even though the car wasn't moving. That's all it was. It was just frustrating. Why now, why when she was finally starting to change, to revert, to be... herself again? She had acted in a moment of anger, she had snapped at the Charmings and the Blue Fairy and thrown Emma across the yard with magic. Why couldn't they understand, it was just so hard? A person like her... in their eyes, she could never change. Were they right?

In the mirror of her car, she saw it all. Henry, teary-eyed, hug Emma who simply sighed and patted him on the head with a look of regret filling her eyes. Regret dripped down her cheek in the form of tears.

Tears, salty hot tears, rolled and dripped onto the sleeve of her fine coat. Little pattering noise from the liquid splattering onto her coat was all that could be heard, and the constant sound of Regina's sobs. There really was no option, now, she couldn't escape, that she knew for sure.

Yes, there really was no option at this point.

* * *

A knock sounded at the door of the Charming's house, exactly at 5:47 p.m. It had only been a few hours since Henry had found out... well, the truth, that was also a lie. Regina had been hesitant, yes, but she knew this was right. There truly was no reason to go on; she had lost Henry already, so she was giving herself up now.

Emma sighed and slid off the couch. Two empty tubs of ice cream sat on the counter, Henry nowhere in sight. He had retreated to his bedroom for the remainder of the day, and Emma didn't blame him. At all. Guilt and disappointment welled up inside her.

She had never wanted to tell Henry in the first place, but everyone knew it had to be done. It was for the better, anyway, Regina was never a good influence on him. As she walked to the door she thought about that, scoffing.

_Thank heavens I won't have to deal with her anymore_, Emma thought.

The door swung open and there stood Regina.

What... the...

"Hi." Regina said quite simply. All Emma could do was stare, stare in shock.

"What the-"

Regina sighed and shook her head. "Listen... Swan... no more fighting. Henry... he's the only one getting hurt in this."

Emma frowned. "If you're asking me to let you go after what you did-" She shook her head.

"No, nothing of that sort." She laughed bitterly, and it was then Regina realized she was tearing up. "I... I just... I think, if it's what makes everyone happy, then you should lock me up. I mean... I really don't have a choice." Emma squinted.

"You're up to something..." Regina smiled sadly.

"Since when was surrender considered a trick?" Emma contemplated this for a moment.

"Well... in... Star Wars, Luke's surrender was a trick." Regina cocked her head.

"Star Wars?" Emma shook her head.

"No... no. I know you're up to something." Regina shook her head, making an agonized gesture.

"Nothing... you can even call the Blue Fairy over here to stun me, I promise I won't do anything." Emma's brow furrowed even more deeply.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing. Why is it that everyone finds it so hard to believe? That I can change?" Regina was getting frustrated now, that's all it ever was. Frustrating. Frustration to never get revenge, frustration that she could never be happy frustrated she had lost everything. She had once been good herself, why didn't she deserve a happy ending?

"I did. I believe you'd changed... and then you did this. You didn't ever change, Regina, you only pretended to." Regina laughed.

"What is it that makes me so different from you, anyway?" She shook her head. "We're both people..."

"Yes, one of us is evil and has no heart and one of us keeps on fooling ourselves." Emma squinted. All of the commotion had caused Snow and Charming to come over to see what was going on.

"Emma, is everything okay-" Snow and Charming froze at the sight of Regina.

"What is she doing here?" Charming snarled.

"She said she was... um, turning herself in." Emma said, knowing that it sounded ridiculous.

"Listen... I know I'm hard to trust, but you have to believe me when I say I am for real this time. I would consider taking my offer before I change my mind," Regina said. Firmly. Charming shook his head.

"Why should we trust you now?" Regina stared at her feet.

"Because I'm doing this for Henry. Because as long as I fight you, Henry only will get hurt." Emma looked up with something in her eyes. Was it hope? Surprise?

"W- Wait a minute." She frowned. "Maybe you ARE innocent. We... I could... I could... Regina, I can see your memories!" Regina's eyes widened.

"Then you would see... I'm innocent! Is... is that how you saw?" Emma nodded.

"Yeah..." Charming's face contorted with anger.

"Why should we re-watch the murder of a beloved fairytale character? Why put up with more pain... for _her_?" Charming spoke the word "her" as one would speak "anaconda."

"Because... my superpower. She isn't lying. Dad... I promise." Charming sighed. He couldn't say no, besides, that was the first time Emma had referred to him as "Dad."

"Fine... but don't say I never told you. C'mon, Snow, let's leave these two." She nodded and the pair reluctantly retreated from the room.

* * *

After Emma and Regina had bought the dreamcatcher from Gold, upon instructions, she was able to find that golden-swirling void once more. Memories, all a jumble, dashed around on the surface of the tangled string on the dreamcatcher.

_Regina waited until Emma had gone inside the cafe before breaking down. _

Embarrassed, Regina flushed red, but no one said anything. Although, she could've sworn she saw Gold snicker.

_She cried all the way to the car, then sniffled for a while before starting the car and driving home. From there, she entered her house and collapsed on the couch, hugging a pillow and staring at the ceiling. She sighed deeply, and a few more moments passed, and she was asleep._

Emma waited a few more moments, waiting, to see Regina get off the couch and kill Archie. And, yes, she did have a fight with him, but even after that, she just went home and laid in bed. Nothing else happened, just Regina lying on the bed.

The room was silent as a tomb, Emma dropping the dreamcatcher once more.

"Y- you were right." Regina nodded, watery-eyed.

"I- I can't believe it." She smiled then. "Maybe... maybe I do have a chance to change, now." Emma frowned.

"Wait a minute... if... if you didn't do it... who did we see in the..." Her eyes widened and she went white. Her gaze lifted from the floor. "Unless... it was..."

"Cora." Regina finished.

* * *

_**Hi everyone, still deciding if this should be a one-shot or what. What do you think? Please R&R! And I will possibly see you next chapter... :)**_


	2. Little Did They Know

"Henry?" Emma continued knocking on his door. "Hey, Henry, there's something I want to talk to you about. Will you please come out?" Regina stood behind Emma, Emma had invited her inside, after all, she wanted to see Henry.

"No." Was the short reply coming from the opposite side of the door. Emma sighed.

"Want to try?" She asked Regina, who nodded.

She hesitantly walked over to the door, and in a very small voice, whispered, "Henry?"

There was silence on the other end for a long time, and Regina supposed he hadn't heard her, so she opened her mouth once more so he would hear her, but just as she did this, the lock to the door clicked and there stood Henry, jaw slightly ajar.

"Mom?" He asked, almost in disbelief. Regina wasn't sure if he was referring to Emma or to herself, although she supposed it was anything but the latter. "What... is _she_ doing here?"

Those five words broke Regina's heart, and tears welled up in her eyes. She. He had called her she. Not his mother, she. Like a stranger. Like they had never even met.

"Henry... I..." He backed away into Emma's arms.

"Hey... kid, there's something you need to know." Henry scooted further away from Regina.

"What... what is it?" Emma sighed nervously, you could almost feel the tension in the room.

"Um... well... see, your mom... wasn't the one who killed Archie."

'Great, Swan,' Regina thought. 'What a way to say it.'

"What? But, you saw... you saw Pongo's memories." Emma shook her head.

"Yes, I did see, but, I also looked at Regina's memories." Henry looked on in disbelief. "You see, we both have decided that somehow, Cora made it to Storybrooke. Did I mention she could shapeshift?" Henry's brow furrowed in suspicion.

"Are you saying my mom is innocent?" Regina let out a breath, never even knowing she had been holding it in the first place. At least he was referring to her as his mother now. Emma nodded.

"Yeah... kid.. that's exactly what I'm saying." Henry ran and gave Regina a hug.

"I knew you were innocent!" He declared, even though a few minutes ago he hadn't seemed so sure of that. Regina smiled, not a mayor or evil smile, a real one, a smile of happiness.

"Henry..." You could just hear the smile in her voice.

"Mom... I'm so glad you didn't kill Dr. Hopper. I mean, I'm not happy he's dead, but I'm happy you're innocent."

For now, they were mother and son, and that was really all that mattered.

Little did they know Cora was watching them right in that very moment.

* * *

_**Hey, everyone, sorry this chapter was short, I was rushing to update so you would know I'm continuing. I'm not sure whether this should be a multi-chapter oneshot or an all-out story. :)**_

_**Thanks for reading! **_


	3. Synthetic Gold

There was a knock on Emma's door, not so late in the evening. Henry had fallen asleep, and of course, Emma was the only one awake. How could she sleep, after all, there was so much to think about.

"Hello?" Emma said, answering the door, still completely submerged in thought.

"Emma." Her mouth formed an O in pure, concentrated surprise.

"Archie?" She asked in dumb disbelief. Yes, they might've sorted out enough that Regina hadn't killed him, yes, but it seemed to be one surprise after the other.

"I, uh... it was Cora. She kidnapped me." Realization dawned on Emma. It was like someone had lit her mind up. Thoughts swirled around in her head.

"I can't believe we buried someone else..." She mumbled in an even more hushed voice.

"You buried me?" Archie inquired, the look on his face one of shock. He shook his head, as if clearing off a magnet board. "I mean, buried someone else in my name?"

"Of course, Archie, everyone was heartbroken. Gepetto, most of all." Archie sighed deeply.

"I should pay him a visit... he already lost his son..." He murmured incoherently. Emma's eyes watered a bit.

"It's... it's just such a shock to see you, alive, after all this time. I mean..." Emma took a deep breath. "I mean... it felt like such a long time. Because Henry... he was _so_ upset, Archie." Emma took a deep breath. "You know what? I think I'm going to have a long, long drink." She glanced at Archie then back at the floor, breathing a heavy sigh.

* * *

Regina sat in her living room, cradling a framed photo to her chest. This had been a memory she had shared with Daniel, and she just had to bring it here. Even if it was faded and weathered, she still couldn't part with it. She still couldn't part with the past, the past that had ruined her, tore everything she loved away from her. She tried to think of something else, tried so desperately to think on now.

But she found that she couldn't. There was simply nothing else to think about.

And yet, there was so much on her mind.

She missed Henry, she missed having him by her side always, she missed his smiling face when she went to pick him up from school, and she missed his laugh and his optimistic outlook on life.

They had been so happy until Henry had turned 10.

He was already becoming distant and moody, and Regina couldn't help but wonder why. She told herself it was an age thing, that he would come back to her, but it was like he was on a boat, sailing further and further away from her reach.

Sailing right up to Emma.

She wondered if he knew she loved him.

And she wondered if he loved her, too.

A thud on the door snapped her out of her train of thought, and she wiped away the tears of distress she had been crying, and placed the picture tenderly atop the coffee table, straightening her shirt on the way to the door, doing her best to look as formal as possible.

"Hello, who is it?" She asked behind the wooden panel. There was a chuckle on the other side, and once she realized who it was, she backed away, crashing into the decorative table she had set behind her.

"Mind opening the door, dearie?" Gold called from the other side of the barrier, which was the only thing keeping the two apart.

"No, you're just bad news," Regina nervously countered. Gold chuckled.

"Well, what if I told you I can help you with your Daniel situation?"

The door swung open almost immediately.

"How?" Regina asked before Gold had the chance to say anything else. Her eyes burned brightly with determination and hope, and somehow, anger. It was incredible how much emotion she had in this one moment.

"Daniel is gone. How are you going to help with that?" Gold paused for a moment.

"Do you have anything of his?" Regina frowned in thought for a moment. Did the picture count as his? Not really, it was hers, but was there anything else-

Oh.

"This," Regina said, unclasping the thin golden apple tree necklace she was wearing. "It was a gift from him, does it count as one of his possessions?" Gold could see how eager she was to find out what the point of his visit here was, and he chuckled silently to himself. She had no idea.

"Of course, dearie." He inspected it, smiling crookedly as he did so. "This will do." Regina waited patiently for him to tell her what this was all about, but those words never came. Instead, he pocketed the necklace.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, not sure what was up with Gold. She instantly regretted giving him that necklace, but she assured herself he had good motives. Gold chuckled.

"I'm taking a little trip to the well..."

And with that, Gold vanished in a puff of purple smoke.


	4. The Kindness In My Heart

Regina was in the woods before even she knew it. The first thought that bubbled up and out was how she had gotten here so fast. She glanced around briefly, squinting at a figure right up by the well. Gold? No... this didn't look like Gold at all... more like...

Regina swallowed, her heart leaping up to her throat. Butterflies fluttered around inside her stomach, and she felt slightly nauseous. Just what was this stranger planning on doing with one of her last memories of Daniel? A lump rose in her throat when she saw the figure hold up a tight-linked chain in a flash of gold, and she almost instantly realized what it was.

Her necklace.

The chain slipped from the figure's hand, and although she wanted to run up and push the person into the well, whoever they were, she didn't. Something held her back. It was like she was in a trance. She watched, mesmerized as the figure poured a substance into the well.

It was a potion.

Purple smoke flooded out of the excavation in the ground, and she snapped back into reality. Heart pounding in her chest, she approached the figure at the well. She was getting a good idea as to who this was.

"Ursula?" The woman by the well turned, and smiled at the sight of her old friend.

"Regina." The two embraced for a quick moment, and Regina was relieved that it had been Ursula, although she still had no idea what her intentions were.

"The curse brought you here?" Regina asked, brow furrowing a little. Ursula opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and directed her attention towards the well, her velvety-purple hair splashing over back in a swift movement. Then she smiled.

"It's working," she whispered, emerald-green eyes glinting. Regina scoffed slightly, but said nothing otherwise.

"What's working?"

"Just watch," Ursula said, motioning for her to be silent. Regina reluctantly listened, she trusted Ursula, after all, besides Maleficent, Ursula had been like a sister to her through all the years shrouded in darkness. So she watched, watched and waited.

There was a explosion of light, and lighting and thunder clouded up above them. Which was, needless to say, unusual, as it was the middle of the day. Regina threw her arms up around her face in a last-minute attempt to block the light out.

And, just as fast as it had come, the light was gone, and the storm clouds had dissipated.

"What just happened?" Regina asked, eyes slowly adjusting again, the world swimming around like a blur. Ursula just chuckled.

"It worked," Ursula murmured, sounding slightly amused.

Regina managed to force her eyes open, and when she did, she was greeted by the sight of someone she never thought she'd see again.

A man lay by the well, completely soaked with water, probably unconscious. Regina's heart raced in her chest, and she was sure she had made a mistake, that her sight was playing with her, that she was imagining this. But then the man shakily stood, grasping onto the well for support.

"Daniel?" She blinked again, not sure if it was a trick of the light. Daniel turned, and there was a long moment of awkward disbelief and quietude. "Daniel," Regina whispered, although her tone was filled with wonder and amazement. For a moment, Regina was afraid this would be a flop like last time, that time when Whale had brought him back.

"Regina?" The two ran towards each other almost immediately, embracing tightly. In that one moment, Regina realized how much she needed him, how much she missed him. Just for the moment, they each belonged to each other, and Regina felt safe and secure in the arms of the one she loved most.

"How?"

Regina had no words, but she felt Ursula's amused stare, those green eyes boring into her skull, and she knew that Ursula knew something that she didn't.

"I... How is this even possible?" Daniel asked softly, and the two slowly separated from their firm, yet supple embrace.

"Simple," Ursula said, and Regina could hear the smirk in her voice, even though her attention was directed towards Daniel, and her gaze resting lovingly on his familiar features. "This well has magical properties, properties with the power to return something you've lost. The possibilities are endless." She sighed, knowing the couple was probably not even listening to her, even though she was happy for them.

"Why did you do this?" Regina asked, finally glancing in Ursula's direction.

"Out of the kindness of my heart..." Regina scoffed.

"What do you want?"

"I need to get back to the Enchanted Forest," Ursula admitted, brutally slicing away the good attitude.

"What?" Regina didn't want to know the consequences if she told her that she knew nothing about transportation between worlds, well, not that much, anyway.

Daniel opened his mouth, about to ask why Regina should do this, before taking a glance around and realizing that this was not the Enchanted Forest. His mouth slowly closed.

"Why would you want to go home?" Regina inquired, studying Ursula duly.

"Why do you think?" Ursula's tone was a bit colder, and Regina sighed.

"I... I really know nothing about transportation between worlds... you could ask Jefferson, I suppose..." Ursula's gaze softened.

"Jefferson's here?" she asked mildly. Regina's brow furrowed.

"Yes... why does it matter?" Ursula shook her head.

"I have to go..."

She was gone in an eruption of smoke.


	5. Breaking Away

The drive home was silent, but Regina could sense Daniel had a lot of thoughts running through his head right now.

"Regina..."

"I know, Daniel. Hang on," she said, trying to keep a grip on her emotions, emotions that were threatening to overtake her solemn mask. She wasn't going to break, so they simply sat in silence.

Regina showed Daniel up into the house, although the look on his face upon seeing the mansion was one of wonderment and confusion. She managed to keep composure, that was, until the two were inside and the door had been closed.

Everything slipped away.

She broke down, the tears flooding fast and emotions surging out the way a harsh wind in the desert wipes everything away. She was kneeling on the ground now, crying into her hands, trying to control the wave of emotions that had just swept over her.

A cold hand came to rest on her shoulder, and it calmed her for a moment, and she leaned into Daniel's strong embrace.

"I'm so sorry..." she hiccuped into the fabric of his shirt. "I..."

"Regina, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Daniel assured her, but she shook her head.

"N- no... I have to..." She took a deep breath. "I'm just... going to get some water... Well, maybe something stronger than that..."

* * *

"I cast a curse to send us here." Daniel didn't object, didn't inquire or raise an eyebrow at why she cast a curse, or how she had the power to cast a curse, for that matter. "After you died, I couldn't move on... so I started learning dark magic from Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One. I had hoped to bring you back... But I failed. After that, I grew bitter, and I took out all my anger on Snow White-" Daniel looked at her, the look of horror on his face plain.

"You blamed a child for my murder?" Regina guiltily looked away. "Regina, she might've told your mother, but she was not the one who ripped my heart out!" Regina's eyes started to water at the brutality of those words, knowing Daniel was right.

"I... I loved my mother... and I couldn't bear to blame her... You have to understand, all I had left was my parents." Daniel stared at her in pain.

"You shouldn't have blamed anyone, Regina... we had no chance, we had no idea what we were up against..."

"I wanted what was best for us, and Snow ripped that away," Regina said firmly, her facial expression and tone adjusting the way it always did when she knew she was losing.

"Running was best for us? We would've needed support, strong support. We wouldn't have found anyone, no one would be risking to help us. What if Cora placed a bounty on us?" Regina swallowed hard, painfully.

"I... I'm sorry. It was just... so hard for me... I just couldn't withstand everything... Daniel, listen... you have to believe me... Please don't be angry with me.." Her eyes pleaded with him, and tears started to overflow again.

"Regina... I'm not mad at you. I'm just mad that you had to turn to that... I just don't want to believe how much I hurt you... that you didn't have anyone to stand with you through it all..." Regina gulped, her throat feeling tight and her hands cold and clammy, and it was then that she remembered the two of them were soaked with water from the well.

She would have to deal with this discussion later, she supposed. She grabbed Daniel's hand, to find it ice-cold.

"You're freezing..." She looked around for something to warm him up, but there was nothing in sight, so she stood up. "Wait here... I'll be right back."

Regina ran up into her room, looking around in the closet for something for Daniel to wear. She selected a black leather jacket, Graham's, more specifically, some bland-looking trousers, and a gray shirt. She set the garments down on the bathroom sink, then scavenged around for a towel and some soap. When everything was ready, she ran back downstairs.

"I got a shower ready for you..." Daniel looked at her, and she could tell he was wondering what a shower was. "It's... like... rain. Umm... hot rain." God, why did this have to be so difficult? "Just... turn the knob to the right, and it'll turn on the water." She could feel the blush heating up her cheeks, but she bit her lip. "I'll... be waiting down here, if you need anything. I'm pretty sure you can figure everything out." Daniel nodded, and placed a hand on her shoulder one more time, and leaned in for a quick kiss before walking off.

Regina sank onto the couch and rubbed her head.

This wasn't going to be as easy as she had planned, but she somehow knew that everything was going to work itself out...


	6. Prices Left Unpaid

"Jefferson?" Ursula waited patiently by the door, hoping with all her heart this was who she was looking for, and not a misname or a fraud... But when the door opened, she knew it was him, she recognized everything, even though the years had changed him. That blank stare he gave her? It was obvious that this unexpected meeting had taken as much as an impact on him as it had on her.

"Vanessa?" She smiled.

"Jefferson..." she repeated, although this time her voice was filled with much more affection and care.

"I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you," Jefferson mumbled, and it was then that Ursula realized they were embracing. "How did you make it through?" Ursula swallowed, she was still confused, and didn't know what to make of her emotions.

"There's been a lot that happened..."

* * *

"What do you mean you cast this curse for revenge?" Daniel said, still obviously in shock after hearing what Regina had shared with him. She had known the cost of casting such an atrocity, but now, she was paying the price through Daniel.

After all, who cared about prices that were left unpaid?

Until now.

"I... It wasn't just for that. Truly. I mean it. I cast this curse to give myself a second chance... I had hoped to make a new life here. And I tried... but Henry..." Daniel's gaze furrowed, and she realized she hadn't told him who Henry was yet. Oh, why? "Henry... he's my son." She was silent for a moment. "Adopted," she added as a last thought. She didn't want Daniel to think she had betrayed him.

"You mean... that all this time... you've never been with another man?" Regina shook her head. She couldn't believe Daniel would ever think that... many years had passed, yes, but getting together with another man wasn't exactly something on her list.

"No... Daniel, you are my one and only true love. I have never looked upon another man in love after you passed."

Which was true. Graham was nothing more than a pawn, a little toy, really. She never loved him, and she never knew.

She supposed that was just one detail she would have to leave out in this tale of darkness.

"Regina..."

"Daniel, please, don't worry about it. It's in the past, and..." There was a sudden knock at the door, and, irked, she took a quick glance behind her to see who would be calling at a time like this. Well, it wasn't exactly like many people came to knock on the door of the Evil Queen, but... "Sorry, Daniel, just hang on a second." She approached the door, hesitant, and so she took a peek out of the blinds, and her heart sank. She ran back to the living room, silently praying the person outside hadn't seen Daniel yet.

"Daniel!" she whispered desperately, heart hammering inside her chest. "Go and lock yourself in the wardrobe... over there... But don't go too far in, you might get lost." Daniel gave her an inquisitive look. "Don't ask, just do as I say," she demanded, and he frowned in her direction before slipping into the wardrobe.

There were a few more moments of silence, and Daniel's voice echoed out of the wardrobe.

"Is that snow I see in here-"

"Don't go in too deep, and don't say anything!" Regina whispered, tiptoeing back to the door, silently praying Daniel would have the sense not to go past the lamp, or that light, or whatever.

"Hello?" she asked, opening the door a bit. She was hoping this was a trick, maybe Ursula playing a joke, but no, it was her mother here. "You. How did you get through? I thought we stopped you." Cora smirked slightly, but only for an instant, and Regina wondered if she had imagined it.

"Determination. I had to see you." Realization hit Regina, and almost in a blink, before Regina had given it any thought, she had slapped Cora right across the face.

"You framed me for the cricket." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and that simple difference changed everything.

Or so it would seem.

"I love you. And I wanted to tell you I know why you wanted me dead. When you cried over my coffin, it changed everything. I framed you, temporarily, yes, but you have to understand, it was only so you could see what these people really think of you." Regina scoffed, not wishing to listen to this woman's lies.

"You made an airtight case; anyone would have believed it. You wanted to manipulate me. You wanted me to need you. That's why you framed me. You're nothing more than a liar," Regina hissed through clenched teeth, and she tried to swallow her anger, anger that was flaring up and ready to burst.

She held her silence.

"You're lucky that the town caught on soon. That it was a frame job." She smirked at Cora's blank and numb expression. "They looked at my memories, and realized I was innocent," she explained, that mirthless smirk remaining plastered on her face the whole time.

"I..."

"No, you shouldn't get to say anything, mother. This is my life, and I am entitled to do what I want with it," she snapped, her tone turning icy-cold. Her mother's presence unnerved her, and she was anxious for her to get going.

"Just give me a chance. Please," Cora said, trying not to appear like she was begging.

"Leave me alone, then. Don't bother me, and don't hurt anyone else, do you understand me?" Regina gritted her teeth, she couldn't afford to lose Daniel, not again, and most certainly not Henry. She eyed Cora one final moment.

"Of course. For you... anything," Cora said firmly.


	7. With Confliction

Daniel extended a hand, capturing some of the powdery substance drifting away from the sky. The tiny flakes rapidly melted on his hand as soon as fast as they had appeared, and his interest wandered, and he headed off in the direction of a lamppost. Curious, he approached it, and-

"Daniel!" Regina shouted right before he could touch the frost-covered metal post. "Don't touch that thing, get back here right now!" Under normal circumstances, he would've listened, but he was exceedingly fascinated, intrigued, even, with the world beyond the wardrobe. He wondered what stretched outside this strange realm-

A cold hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.

"Daniel, we're going now," she said, brazenly storming away with his arm in her ice-cold grasp.

* * *

"What was that place?" Daniel asked once he had snapped out of his little trance.

"I don't exactly know," Regina lied. "Just stay away, okay?" Daniel nodded and remained silent for a moment.

"Regina... why did you want to hide me? Who was at the door?" He quietly asked, and Regina sighed.

"Cora. I couldn't risk letting her see you..." Daniel nodded in understanding.

"I was just wondering... maybe you wanted to hide me from them, or did you want to hide them from me?" Regina frowned.

"Why would I do that?"

"Regina. I hurt you." He said it fast, like it was one sentence instead of two. Like there was something he didn't want to say. Maybe something he didn't want to believe.

"No, you didn't." She frowned. "What are you even talking about?"

"In the stables," was all he said, and it dawned on Regina what Daniel was referencing.

"That wasn't you," she reassured him. "That wasn't you," she repeated, trying to clutch on to the strong, reassuring conviction her voice held normally, but failing. Her tone faltered a bit, and her gaze slipped onto the floor.

"Regina... we have to face the facts... I mean, I hurt you. What if I hurt someone else?" Regina shook her head, tears splattering onto the floor.

"That won't happen. I won't let it happen." Daniel sighed.

"I'm unpredictable." Regina didn't want to believe it, but she was more scared for Daniel than she was for herself. What if King George turned everyone on her like he had Ruby, what if Daniel was the next victim? They had listened to David, yes, but no one would listen to her. No one would miss Daniel if he died, he was nothing more than a stable boy.

But he was her stable boy.

She didn't want to even admit to the fact that what Daniel was saying might be true, that they would never be together.

But part of her still wanted to hold onto him the best she could, still wanted to clutch on desperately to the last moments she would have with him, even if it was for a short amount of time.

"Isn't it time you admitted that the best place for me is a cell?" Regina froze.

"No. Don't you remember? True love is the most powerful magic of all. We'll make it through this, Daniel, I promise." Daniel just stared at his feet, and he seemed defeated, like a stone wall that has gradually crumbled away. "I hurt someone else."

Regina paused, knowing she couldn't lie. Not to him.

"Yes," she admitted, trying to ignore the grimace Daniel made upon hearing of his own actions. "But he's fine now."

"That isn't the point, Regina. Yes, he's fine now, but what if I kill someone? That can't be reversed, no matter what." Regina made a sour face in disbelief and let her gaze fall to the carpet. Daniel wasn't a monster, and she was going to prove this to both of them. She had to believe in Daniel.

What else was there left to believe in?

* * *

Regina tossed and turned fitfully in bed, trying to avoid waking Daniel whenever she could.

Every time she closed her eyes, fearful visions clouded her sight in every corner.

She jolted awake, to find herself sitting straight up. Exhaling, she lay back down, trying to will herself back to sleep somehow, but she found she couldn't. She was still jostles from the day's events, especially Cora's visit.

She had never expected to see her mother alive again, nor at the front door of her own house.

A little idea bubbled up to the front of her mind.

What if Cora's visit had a meaning?

* * *

Regina pulled up to the Charming's residence that night. She hadn't found any sleep, so she had just left a note for Daniel and drove here. There was just something important on her mind, something big.

She knocked on the door hesitantly, hoping that when it was opened it wouldn't be slammed shut in her face.

Part of her was still aching from heartbreak. She didn't want Daniel to believe he was a monster, not when she was the real monster here.

"Hello...?" Emma's voice trailed off, and she raised a skeptical eyebrow at the crushed woman at her doorstep.

"I think Cora's after Henry," Regina said simply, waiting for the door to be slammed shut. Emma just scoffed.

"Are you kidding me?" Regina eyed what was behind Emma, into the house.

"I just... I had an odd feeling," Regina admitted. "I guess it wasn't anything." She sighed, like she was releasing a great burden, although this didn't help her sinking mood. "I'm sorry for bothering you," she said quickly, and somehow Emma managed a weak smile. She opened her mouth to say something, but Regina had already left the property. A sinking feeling took over Emma, and she went to check on Henry to shake that feeling off.

When she opened the door, though, the room was empty, like a black hole had sucked everything away, and yet, sucked away someone.

Henry was gone.


	8. Look Fear In The Eye

"I missed you," Jefferson said, cupping Ursula's cheek with his hand. She smiled sadly.

"How is our dear daughter?" Jefferson sighed, not wanting to tell his wife what had happened when she had been trapped in that other realm.

It was his fault.

He never knew that the same amount of people who went through had to come back, or he never would've brought Vanessa.

It was that rule that ruined them all, cursed them, kept them imprisoned in the shadows.

"Grace is fine." Vanessa, well, Ursula's eyes sparkled.

"You would not believe what I had to do to come home to you."

"Why don't you come inside, then? I'm sure Grace will be thrilled to see you."

* * *

"What do you mean, Henry's gone?" Snow inquired, eyes widening in shock at the sight of Emma.

"He's gone. Like, he's really gone. I don't know what happened. He wasn't in his room, and no one in town's seen him." Emma was hysterical, and tears were streaming out of her eyes. She even hiccuped a little. Snow had never seen her daughter like this.

"Okay, slow down just a second," Snow said, heart pounding a little faster than she knew it could. She wished she had heard some of that wrong, her soul seemed to be sinking away into an abyss of fear. She didn't want it to be true. "Henry is gone? Do you mean he ran away?" Emma looked Snow directly in the eyes, puffy and bloodshot eyes studying hers frantically.

"I think he was kidnapped." She managed to squeak out, and Snow frowned, because it wasn't like Emma to be this hysterical, and she couldn't imagine what had happened to her to make her act this way. If it was Regina, which it probably was, she doubted Regina would harm him. Yes, it was problematic, enough to make one's head spin, but not enough to make Emma panic this much.

"By Regina?"

"No. Not by Regina. By Cora."

Ah. Now they had a real problem on their hands.

* * *

Regina lay defeated on the sheets, the silky fabric embracing her tightly. She sighed, limply letting her arm dangle over the side of the bed. She decided now was a good time to get up and make breakfast for Daniel. She smiled at that thought. She was going to make breakfast for Daniel, like a normal person. She was going to have another chance, another chance to change, to find out who she really was.

After dressing and heading downstairs, she selected some simple pancake mix and cracked a few eggs, the slimy substance spreading across the heated iron pan, and she began preparation to make some scrambled eggs, perhaps. Maybe over easy, today. The room felt a little empty, so she switched on the radio, to hear a little bit of the ending of Charlie's Girl, by Lou Reed. She swayed a little to the familiar, comforting tune, as she checked on the pancakes on the other end of the stove.

She almost jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but when she realized it was Daniel, she relaxed.

"Oh, thank heavens, you scared me," she said, placing a hand over her racing heart.

"Cooking something? It sure smells good." she smiled shyly.

"Have you ever had pancakes before?" He shook his head no, and she slyly smiled. "I suppose we're going to have to change that."

A knock at the door stopped the two, inches away from kissing, and Regina felt her face flush red, and she awkwardly wiped her hands off on her apron.

"Sorry. I better go get that."

She pulled the heavy door open to find none other than Mary Margaret Blanchard. She pursed her lips, she wasn't in the mood to see her old enemy come knocking at her door, interrupting her, especially this early. Her eyes narrowed in deep suspicion, although it was more of an instinct than a natural gesture.

"Miss Blanchard, what do you think you're doing knocking at my door, uninvited?" Regina asked accusingly.

"Regina... listen. Henry has been kidnapped." Regina's anger vanished.

"What?" Her voice was laced with genuine disbelief and shock. "What?" she repeated, and Snow felt a strange sense of deja vu wash over her, just for a second.

"Henry has been kidnapped by Cora," Snow reiterated, and Regina's world seemed to spin right before her eyes. She felt so light and nauseous, like she could float a thousand miles away from the grasp of the gravity of earth unless she was secured to the ground.

* * *

By the time Regina and Daniel had heard the whole story, Regina felt so nauseous she might even vomit.

"What are we going to do?" Daniel asked, watching Regina carefully so he might catch her should she fall.

"Mother can't be stopped. How are we ever going to get Henry back?" Regina said, her tone faltering a bit as she steadied herself against the wall, placing a hand on her head.

"Her intentions can't be good. What does she want?" Snow asked, slightly scared to hear the answer. As of now, she pitied Regina, if only slightly. She didn't know what was going through her mind as of now, but she didn't seem to be as broken as Emma.

"Not what. Who." Regina's gaze slowly lifted from the floor. "I think... Cora wants me."


	9. A Shadow Of A Tale From Years Ago

"What?" Snow asked after a long moment of silence. As the pieces started to mesh together, she shook her head, clearing her thoughts away. "No, you can't. this town is going to go to-" Regina held out a hand to silence Snow.

"Exactly. That's all you care about," she snapped brutally, tone thick as a wooden block. "All you care about is this town. You're scared of what she and I can do together." She glared at Snow with cold, icy, unforgiving eyes that were black as a starless sky. "You're afraid of me," she whispered swaying a little, and Daniel stood protectively at her side. "But you don't care what I think. You don't realize how hard I've been trying to change. I would never revert, not now."

"She's trying to change. Was the cricket not enough evidence?" Daniel blurted angrily. He obviously didn't recognize her, and in a way, Regina was glad. Snow's gaze fell upon Daniel, finally.

"Who are you?" Snow finally asked after a long moment. "You couldn't be..." her voice trailed off, and her mouth slid slightly ajar.

"I'm Daniel." Snow backed away, stumbling a little.

"Oh my god." She looked back at Daniel slowly, like he was some sort of unimaginable evil and not Regina's one and only true love. She looked absolutely horrified, and Regina, for a slight second there, wished she had her video camera with her. "I am so, so sorry, don't..." For a moment there, Regina wondered if she was going to get down at her hands and knees.

"Regina, who is this?" Daniel finally asked after a long pause.

"Snow White," Regina hissed. Daniel chuckled.

"And why was it that you didn't notice me earlier?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Regina slightly wished he had said something more, maybe slapped Snow or something, or questioned her about what had happened between the two of them after his death.

"I... I guess that I was just focused on Henry," Snow admitted, and it made Regina feel sick. Snow White, the murderer of Daniel, was back again, only this time she was prepared to butter him up? She would never understand the girl. It made her want to scream to see the two of them converse.

"Can we get back to what's important here?" Regina snapped, terribly nervous for Henry. "Cora is on the loose, and if we don't stop her, we're going to be doomed." Snow nodded sheepishly.

"Right... so what do you propose?" she finally asked, rubbing a hand exhaustedly against her forehead. Regina, herself, wasn't feeling all that well.

"We have to set up a trap... lure her, perhaps, like you did me, so many years ago, and then we can stun her. She's going to give up once she knows she's been beaten. We just need a good plan to get her." Snow nodded. "But I do have just the slightest feeling that she's stolen Henry for one reason... me. She knows I want him back more than anything, but she just wants to control me." Daniel frowned.

"That's not a mother." Regina laughed coldly.

"She never was. And imagine, I had to live with her all those years." She shook her head bitterly. "I knew I should've taken her out before she had the chance to destroy everything I loved," she whispered in a hushed tone too silent for anyone to hear, even a cricket. She wasn't even sure she heard herself utter those words, those words that finally demolished the walls she had built around herself for as long as she had known, and everything came crashing down in that one second.

Before she even knew it, she was in Daniel's arms, just crying, chest heaving as her lost and unshed tears came flooding away. She cried about things she never even knew she cared about until she had lost them.

She cried for her father, she cried for Daniel, she cried for Henry, she cried for every single person she had ever hurt, and she cried for her mother.

Every single memory she had ever known came flooding back to her in that moment. Memories, beautiful as glass, yet dangerous, fatal, flooded over her in unspeakable waves of emotion. She remembered people crying and begging her to spare them, and yet, somehow, she wouldn't. She couldn't.

Looking in the reflection of her memories from so long ago reminded her of who she was. And who she would always be. Just a meaningless, emotionless facade, a mask, a shadow of the person she used to be, or even, maybe just a shadow of no one.

She felt so empty inside, and she knew how much she hated herself, hated herself for not being able to forgive others, to forgive, forget, and move on.

In her mind, she turned away from the mirror, sulked away, and she found herself lying on the thick sheets of her bed. She wondered if she had passed out in front of Snow, and she wondered if it had all been a dream, but, no, it hadn't been.

There was only one solution to this problem, and that was to find out who she was, who the girl in the mirror from all those years ago was.

She had to find out who she was herself.

She pulled herself off of the bed, memories dancing around in a nightmarish view, head throbbing, and her heart aching.

As much as she wished it had been a dream, she knew it couldn't be.

Not when her life was already a nightmare of its own.


	10. One Night

Regina felt a slight flare of anger as she eyed Daniel and Snow converse surreptitiously from the top of the stairs, but regained her cool and slowly and in a trancelike motion, swept down the stairs, trying to feel regal like before, but failing miserably. Daniel recognized her presence almost immediately, and she could hear the concern in his voice as he spoke.

"Regina. Are you okay?" She nodded, although she still felt slightly nauseous.

"Yes," she quietly answered, although she could feel Snow's eyes burning into her skull. Her heart's steady pace gained momentum, and she tensed up slightly like something had possessed her.

Cora was here, she was here somewhere in her house.

She recognized that familiar feeling, that feeling where the world slowed down, and almost all she could hear was the steady sound of her heartbeat. That feeling where you felt trapped, alone, suffocating in the darkness...

She didn't want Cora to see Daniel, she couldn't risk losing him again, and yet, she didn't want to frighten him, or make him hide again. She knew he would fight for her, and his life was not a price he should pay, not when what Cora wanted was her. It made her sick to do this, but she truly felt there was no other way.

"I... um, need to get something," Regina said, quickly excusing herself from the room, and Daniel narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and she silently prayed he wouldn't come after her, not now.

* * *

As Regina made her way up to her room, the feeling of Cora's presence intensified, and her heart felt like it was about to burst.

Thump, thump.

She neared the side of the hallway, her head still aching, and, she raised a hand to help support herself as she made her way along the familiar walkway.

Thump, thump.

She stopped for a moment to take a quick rest, inhaling deeply, before continuing on. She knew she wasn't in a good state, yes, but she had to do this for everyone's sake.

For Daniel's sake.

Thump, thump.

For Henry's sake.

Tears welled in her eyes and started to flood again at the thought of Henry, she couldn't bear to see his expression when he found out she had vanished. Would Cora let him go?

Would he cry for her if she were to fall?

Thump, thump, thump.

She neared the end of the walkway, where the path grew thick at the end and left space. It wasn't as large as one would imagine, but it was large enough for two people.

The dim lighting eerily seemed to shudder, and the lights flickered for a moment.

She saw the outline of her shadow for a split second.

Thumpthumpthumpthump...

And then she saw another outline joining it, at first, a dark gray, then slowly shaping into a deep, dark black.

She swallowed, and wondered if her mascara was running for just a moment.

What other reason would Cora have for wanting her, besides the fact that all she wanted to do was own her?

She closed her eyes, and not a word was needed.

Purple smoke surrounded the two, mother and daughter, and then the world melted away.

* * *

"Mom?" Regina blinked for a moment, not sure if this was her imagination, or a cruel joke played by Cora, perhaps, but, no, it really was him.

"Henry!" She ran and gave him a hug. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" She frantically started checking his arms for maybe the slightest sight of a bruise or a cut, but there was nothing, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"No." Henry frowned. "But what are you doing here? Is everyone okay?" Regina knew who Henry meant by "everyone." He meant Emma.

"Your mother was very worried for you," Regina said, standing protectively by Henry, eyeing what was into the darkness, maybe to see Cora, for just a moment. She relaxed when she saw nothing. "Thank heavens you're okay..." She swallowed hard. "We need to get you out of here, before she can hurt you." She looked around.

"I think Cora's enchanted this place... so I can't use magic... But, there's a way to get you out. Without any magic." She dug around in her pocket for a bit, before nervously glancing around again. When she was positive the coast was clear, she pulled out and presented a black candle.

"Light this, and just think really hard of the place you want to go. You can't allow yourself any distractions," she instructed. Henry frowned when she handed him the candle.

"You aren't coming with me?" Regina closed her eyes and sighed.

"Listen to me... Henry... I'm going to find a way to get back to you. I promise. Promise me you'll be good to everyone, especially Emma. She's your mother." It hurt Regina to admit it, but she knew it was true. Even if Emma had no legal right over Henry, he was still her son.

"But..." She shook her head.

"You have to go, look how small it is, there isn't enough left to send two people. No, Henry, you're going to go, now, there is no arguing." She pulled out a match from her pocket and lighted the candle.

"Just think about home." Henry squeezed his eyes shut, and vanished right before her eyes.

A tear rolled down her cheek, because she knew she was going to get it from Cora, but at least Henry would be safe now.


	11. A Shooting Star

"Hello, Mother," Regina said, and she heard the eerie sound of Cora's footsteps sounding behind her. All she could think, all she could wonder, was if she was going to make it out of here alive.

"Regina," Cora addressed her, and Regina wanted to laugh, but it only came out as a hoarse cough. "Are you feeling okay? You're looking a bit under the weather."

"Tell me about it," Regina replied coldly, locking eyes with Cora. She didn't want her to know she was afraid.

"Don't be afraid, besides, I can already tell what you're thinking."

"You can read minds?" Regina croaked, the fear slowly seeping into her defenses and melting through her barriers, the way acid crawls over metal and sucks all the strength away. "You sick-"

"Now you listen to me." With a flick of her wrist, Regina found herself on the floor, and her heart thumped with fear. She rubbed her back, she hadn't even realized Cora had smashed her against the wall, it had all happened so fast.

Cora was much stronger than she predicted.

"Don't think I didn't realize you let Henry go." She chuckled, and Regina started to tremble in fear and pain. "I will get him back for you, darling, because that's what you want. Isn't it?" Regina shuddered, and Cora kneeled down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm here, and I'm going to help you pick up the pieces."

"Leave me alone," Regina whispered, trying to back away. Her back pressed against the wall and she winced, she was pretty sure she had a few bruises. "Don't hurt Henry," she begged, sounding like a little girl, pleading for a toy. Cora frowned.

"Now is that any way to ask for something?" She slapped Regina across the face, her ring slicing into her cheek. "Oh, I'm sorry, let me help," she said in a sort of wicked tone. Regina knew she didn't mean it. The way Cora was acting made Regina shudder, the woman was clearly out of her mind.

"No... stop..." Regina winced, trying to escape. Her attention dwindled, and her eyes snapped in every direction, looking for an exit, although she knew she wouldn't find one.

"There," Cora said once the cut had been magically healed. "Now where were we?" Regina didn't even blink, she just pulled herself out of a sitting position and tried to stagger away. "Regina," Cora said, a smirk displayed on her face, "Where do you think you're going?"

"For a walk, nothing more than a walk," Regina said, hoping that in her state Cora would buy it. She furrowed her brow, and, for some reason, reminded Regina of a little girl, completely oblivious, but with a great temper and extraordinary power.

"Yes, dear, and why do you think you're getting away?" Cora grinned in the shape of an almost crescent moon, and Regina could've sworn her teeth looked sharp. "You're stuck with me, here, forever, darling, and there's no way to escape from me." Her smile vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. "Now, then. Let's go find Henry, shall we?"

* * *

"Mom!" Henry whacked the door with his fist. "Mom!"

The door swung open in almost an instant.

"Henry!" Emma's eyes were puffy and red from crying, and she ran up to him and gave him a huge hug. She reminded Henry of the night he'd run away from Regina and found his real mom for the first time. She looked the same, and she looked equally frightened. "Are you okay? Did Cora-" Henry wanted to roll his eyes, he wanted to scream, because this was exactly what Regina had said, but she wasn't here and safe. She was stuck with Cora. What was going to happen to his mom?

"I'm fine, but we have to go back for... mom, she's stuck with Cora." Emma shook her head.

"No, Henry, we aren't going back there. We don't even know where they are." Emma frowned. "How did you escape, anyway?" Henry opened his mouth to say something, but Emma shook her head. "We have to go get Mary Margaret, she's all alone at Regina's house..." Henry felt odd. Regina would've made a larger racket if she were in Emma's position, but he wondered why Emma had so suddenly dropped it.

He told himself she was just adapting to be a mom, but his gut disagreed with him, and for some reason, a tiny voice in his head asked him if he was going to keep on lying to himself.

Henry shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and kicked himself inwardly. Emma was his one and only mom, and that was all that mattered. He only had affection for Regina because she had taken care of him.

The thing was, what was a mother exactly?

Was she a person who stood by your side, held and comforted you through the harshest and best of days, or was she a person who you immediately clicked with within seconds of meeting?

All the way through the ride to Regina's... no, his home, that question rang around in his head.

Who was his real mom?

* * *

_**I have officially and successfully given myself nightmares from this chapter. X(**_


	12. Wishing Only Wounds The Heart

"What do you mean, she's with Cora?" Daniel practically yelled. Emma winced. "Listen, I'm not normally one to go out and fight, but this is ridiculous! I don't want to sit here and listen to your antics, not when Regina is... with that... thing!" Daniel finished, looking like he was about to wrap his hands around someone's neck and wrangle them to death.

"Calm down," Snow assured. "We'll work out a plan, and then-"

"We'll?" Emma asked incredulously. "No, I'm not sure that's what's best. We might be putting Henry in danger, have you thought of that?" Snow just stared at Emma. Like she couldn't believe what her daughter had just said. Or maybe it was that she didn't want to believe that.

"But we can't just leave her alone, with Cora. You don't know what the two of them can do together." Daniel scowled at the both of them.

"Regina was right. You're acting so egotistical, all you care about is the town. Maybe not even the town, maybe you just care for yourselves. If you really wanted to run this town the right way, you would care for each and every one of its subjects," he snarled, his tone icy cold, and his glare settling over the mood like a thick layer of icy, unforgiving snow. "You need to look ahead. If you wander in the past, how are you going to find the future?"

"We're trying to see what is best for everyone. We're putting Henry first," Emma snapped, losing her patience, although there hadn't been much to begin with.

"As much as you think she's changed, you don't know what her past was like." He glared at Snow. If looks could burn, she would be a human puddle. "You haven't seen her kill," Snow snapped.

"You're acting delusional," Emma piped in. "You're letting your feelings cloud your judgement." Daniel shook his head.

"No, you don't understand her," He said, his voice barely more than a low growl. "You need to open up your mind. From what she's told me, she was your mother," he made a gesture to Snow, "for years while you were growing up. She never loved your father, and she had to pretend to love someone she really hated," he spat. "Can't you see? You need someone to open your eyes."

"I..." Snow had no other argument. "Emma's right. It's not worth the risk." Daniel snorted.

"So leaving an innocent to die is the best option?" He scoffed. "If you aren't going to help her, then I will. We'll make it to the end, no matter what."

Snow swallowed weakly, and took Emma by the arm, who grabbed onto a fearful-looking Henry. His face looked so blank in this entire situation, and Daniel wasn't sure he had even heard a word that had been spoken.

"W...wait," Henry said halfway to the door. "Shouldn't we go save my mom?" Emma kneeled down next to Henry.

"Henry. Listen to me. I am trying my best to be a good mom, and right now, keeping you safe is what matters." Henry frowned, studying Emma carefully, trying to maybe find a flicker of regret from her, only there was none.

"B-but..." Emma sighed. Henry could tell he wasn't going to budge her, but he wanted to know if his mom was going to be okay.

"Henry, we are going home, and that is the end of it."

As Daniel watched them leave, he locked eyes with Henry. Somehow, he knew it was his own way of asking him to find Regina.

The door creaked shut and Daniel found himself sitting at the kitchen table with his eyes filled with tears.

* * *

**PAST**

* * *

_Regina frowned at the sight out of the window. Their old stable maintenance was departing, there was no doubt, but she had suspected they were not a trio to put up with her mother's antics for long. Still, she wondered who their new help would be._

_What if this was a sign from her mother she didn't want her to continue taking riding lessons? No, that couldn't possibly be, she scolded herself mentally. She couldn't stop riding, not now, and, besides, even if her mother forced her not to_ _ride, she would still sneak and find a way to ride again. Besides, if she wasn't around, what would happen to her beloved steed, Rocinante?_

_The skies clouded over and it started to pour. Dismayed, Regina skulked away from the window. She knew it was around teatime. And that her mother knew exactly what she was doing. She wouldn't be surprised if the weather was her doing, too._

* * *

_Regina snuck into the stables late that night, heart pounding with fear and excitement. Since she hadn't taken lessons today, she could always try during night, right?_

_A loud thump sounding from the back interrupted her from her thoughts. She spun around to face none other than a boy, maybe a bit older than her. She bit her lip._

_"Oh..." Her throat felt dry, but she still managed to force out more words. "Are you the new help?" She mentally kicked herself, because her mother would not approve of her conversing with the servants._

_"Yes, m'lady." Regina bit her lip, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty._

_"Don't call me that," she said hastily. "Regina," she said, offering a hand. Surprised, the boy shook it, and Regina knew if her mother found out what she was doing here, she would never hear the end of it. "Do you have a name?" She questioned, and when he nodded, she blushed a little. Of course he had a name, oh, this would take some getting used to._

_"Daniel," he said a bit reluctantly. She weakly smiled._

_"Oh, do you mind... not telling my mother about this?" He nodded, making her smile for real._

_"Well, then, thank you, Daniel."_


	13. A Nice Little Walk

"Where are we going?" Regina muttered as her mother led her through the thickening pine forest. Her leather shoes crunched on the mossy, damp grass sprinkled over with fresh droplets of dew.

"For a nice little walk," Cora said. "Henry will be coming along very shortly." Regina was covered in a thin layer of sweat. She felt like they had been walking for hours, maybe even more. But every step she took, she felt worse.

"Please stop," she panted, leaning up against a tree for support. "I really don't feel well. I need... to rest." Cora stopped, eyeing her daughter's glowing heart that was resting in her wrinkled hand.

"Of course, darling," Cora said with a false smile. Regina felt light, like she was about to drift away, free of gravity. Her head ached, and she felt so hollow and empty.

"How long have we been walking?" Regina said, feeling the rough bark atop the tree start to scrape her hand. She grimaced, then paused the sound of footsteps crunching against the soft forest moss nearby.

Both women spun around in the direction which they had heard the sound, and Regina's heart swelled up with relief, and yet, fear for her beloved stable boy.

"Daniel," she whispered, like she was seeing a ghost and not her actual lover, standing right here before her.

"Regina." Was all he said, and she noticed him grip the handle of the sword he was holding a little tighter. Cora snorted.

"You expect to kill me with that letter opener? Please, darling, you're going to have to do better than that," she said, her voice a low growl, and Regina couldn't help but see the pure determination filling her eyes.

"Don't. Daniel, she has my heart," Regina pleaded, and she saw him reluctantly lower the sword.

She grimaced at the lost expression splayed messily across his face. "I'm sorry," she said simply, watching him turn in one direction and wink. "What..."

She was interrupted from her thoughts when a bulb of blinding blue light streamed by. Cora's mouth shaped an O in surprise, and she quickly threw up her arms to shield herself, a glowing what-should've-been-pink orb sailing into the air.

Regina's heart.

Both women made a mad jump for it, and before either of them knew it, Cora had been immobilized.

Panting, Regina snapped her eyes open and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her own heart in her hand.

She wasn't surprised at its dark shade. Black. Her heart was black. It was so typical, she wanted to laugh out loud. Who would have guessed?

Daniel scooped her up, and she somehow managed to hand him the black object.

"Thank you, Daniel," Regina whispered, before passing out once more, only this time, in the safety of the arms of her one and only true love.

* * *

"You're a regular damsel in distress," A little voice inside of her said. "Always passing out, eh?" She clutched her head, and sat up. Memories flooded back into her head, and she leaned back into the mattress, the amount of thoughts clouding her head feeling positively overwhelming, like a dam about to burst.

"H-hey, are you awake?" Daniel asked.

"Yes... where are we?" Regina croaked, not wanting to open her eyes again. She wanted to slip peacefully back into the welcoming arms of slumber, although she knew she was going to deny herself of such a thing for a while.

"Hospital." Regina was tired, but somehow managed an incredulous look, although it seemed to look more like a frown.

"You mean they actually let me in?" Something just didn't sound right there. "They let me in? After what I've done?" she repeated.

Oh, her head wasn't feeling well. Had she possibly hit it on something?

"You're really sick..." Daniel murmured. "And it's not something they can heal." Regina tried to sit up.

"What is it?" she asked, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"You've been trying not to use magic, right?" Regina nodded, well, rather, attempted to.

"Yes... for Henry..." Daniel nodded.

"Ah... I see. From what I've been told, you are so used to magic that it's become a part of you. Your heart." Regina felt even more nauseous at the mention of the word, but didn't say anything in complaint.

"Is there anything we can do?" Regina questioned, praying to herself that using magic wouldn't become something she would be forced to use on a daily routine. Daniel nodded.

"But it's going to hurt an awful lot... you'll have to go without it for a long while... Again, are you sure this is what you want? I'm sure Henry would understand, seeing how concerned for you he was." Tears blossomed in Regina's eyes, dripping quietly onto the sheets.

"Henry was worried for me?" Daniel nodded.

"Of course... Regina, is there something you want to tell me?" She shook her head in the best way that she could manage.

"I think... I just need to sleep for a little while longer," she said, letting her eyelids close gently. Remaining tears were forced out of her eyes and rolled heavily onto the pillow she was now resting her head atop.

"Get as much sleep as you need, love," Daniel said, squeezing her hand gently, and watching as she succumbed to a deep sleep once more.

...Love, Regina thought quietly inside her slumber. He called me his love.

Still dazzled, she floated quietly down a pretend stream on a little wooden boat in her soundless, trance-like slumber.


	14. Things Can Change

It was already late afternoon, and Regina let out a sigh, before reluctantly rolling out of bed. A few weeks had passed, and all had become peaceful in the Mayor's household.

"Daniel, it's 7:30, you're going to be late for work," she mumbled, because though she didn't really want him to leave, both had agreed it was best for him to do the work around the place. Of course she couldn't get a job, although Regina had argued for it constant times because she didn't want to feel so helpless. She supposed it didn't make a difference, who would hire the Evil Queen, right?

So Daniel had had to find work for himself. Luckily, Storybrooke had stables, and Charming seemed to have either a terrible memory loss or he flat out didn't care about the stables to realize the man who had almost killed his grandson was now working at the place of crime.

"Regina, today's a Saturday..." She groaned and pulled the covers back over herself.

"Of course it is... I think I'm just going to stay in bed all day today, then." She rubbed her eyes wearily and brushed a hand through her hair to tame the flyaway strands.

"Who's going to cook breakfast?" Daniel teased. "And clean the dishes and mop the floor and-"

"Keep it up, and pretty soon you'll be doing all those things you said," Regina growled, causing Daniel to laugh.

"Oh, I see how it is," he said, before tossing the covers off and scooping her up in his arms, causing Regina to immediately go limp.

"Put me down," she whined, and Daniel set her down gently in front of the bathroom mirror.

"See?" he said. "You look absolutely lovely." She rolled her eyes, and he put his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.

"But in the end, does it matter?" she questioned, reaching for her hair brush and trying animately to tame the wild forest on her head.

"Of course it does," he whispered in her ear, before retreating to go to his own bathroom. "I'll see you for breakfast, love." Regina couldn't help but smile and let out a little chuckle of her own, before slipping and dropping the brush.

Oops.

* * *

In a way, Regina missed being mayor. It took her mind off of a many things and it was, in a manner of speaking, a good thing to focus her emotion on. It gave her something to act for, to use that old facade, and luckily, that facade had almost become herself. Though she hated to admit it, Madame Mayor was a much better person than the Evil Queen had been, yet sometimes she wondered if there were possibly worse mayors out there.

She sprinkled a dash of salt onto the frying pan, rummaging through and selecting some ingredients from the wooden cupboard above her.

"Smells good," Daniel said from behind her, and she smiled and set out two plates on the table, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as she did so.

"What do you want to do today?" She questioned, because it was a particularly sunny day, and it would be a shame to spend the entirety of it at home.

"I thought maybe we could go riding," Daniel suggested with a grin that was almost as large as the Cheshire Cat. Regina's eyes widened.

"You mean you got us horses?" she asked excitedly. It had been so long since she had ridden with Daniel and she couldn't wait to do so again, although after that incident she hadn't expected to do such a thing.

"Of course, what else would I do?" Regina ran and gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Daniel," she whispered in his ear. He chuckled slightly.

"Well, Madame Mayor, shall we go? Your horse awaits." She let out a laugh and he squeezed her hand gently. Maybe she was going to get her happy ending, after all.

* * *

_**I have not abandoned this story!**_

_**So recently, I was planning on doing an update, only I've been having a lot on my plate recently and some other stuff is on hiatus so I can finish this up... Only problem is, I might finish this one early because I'm having MAJOR writers block and I don't want to dig another hole too deep so that when I really do run out of ideas, I won't be stuck all the way into the center of the earth. **_

_**I will be doing my best to update as soon as possible from now on, just know that I HAVE NOT abandoned this story, and I am very sorry for any inconvenience this might cause. **_

_**Thank you so much for your continued support and understanding!**_


	15. There Is Only One Name On That LIst

Regina had always known how beautiful the town of Storybrooke was.

Of course, she hadn't built the actual town in general, despite the fact that she had cast the curse. She had simply filled the town with ideas of what would be needed there, and from there magic created those things to suit the general outlook. She supposed that if she had built the town, everything would be black, dreary, and probably look like something out of a book. After all, she remembered walking into her kitchen the first time and trying to figure out what a toaster was.

Needless to say, she had never found the time to go for a walk in the forest or to ever take a peaceful break. Being the mother of a child and the mayor of the entire town was a stressful duty that called for much attention, not to mention time.

Before the curse had been broken, she had had no time at all, but now, she had endless hours to spend. She still wished things had been like they had before, but she wondered what might've happened to her if the curse had not been broken. Would she still be with Henry? Would that mean she would lose Daniel?

Those were questions she prayed she would never have to find the answer to, and she hoped she would never need to know why, either. To be sent spiraling down into the path of loneliness and despair again... her heart could not take it. It would break, and she would crumble along with her spirit.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, the gentle fresh breeze of the still, yet living forest that was breathing with life hitting her like a wave of water, splashing across her face and fluttering around her hair. It was truly a magnificent sight to see, and she was content to know that this would not be her last trip here.

"It's something, isn't it?" Daniel mused, and she nodded, awestruck by the pulchritude of it all. It was simply something she could not put into words, for she knew no words that could ever amount to what she was seeing now. She truly wished that she could just run through this forest some day, pine needles crunching underneath her feet, like she had as a little girl, a deceived dreamer and believer in true love. She had once thought that that girl was long gone, but she had found her again. Only the little girl in her had grown up and matured, learned what real love was.

"It's incredible," she mumbled. She had never thought something as simple as nature, but seeing this type of perfection nearly blew her mind.

She remembered that she had always appreciated the smallest, most beautiful things in nature. Like a speck of dew on an arched leaf or maybe how brilliant the shade of green was on a single blade. She had forgotten to appreciate such things for a long time, but it felt good to be back. She might've kept her cold outlook, but she felt like these things, these changes, were a sign that maybe she really could change, maybe she could prove herself to the town of Storybrooke. Maybe she could win Henry back.

"Thank you for taking me out," she told Daniel, sending a smile in his direction. He smiled back, and the horses took them around a little corner. The two were riding close and Daniel found her could reach over and give Regina's hand a light squeeze.

"It's good to be back," Daniel said after a long while.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

* * *

The next day, Regina was awfully happy she had had such a wonderful experience with Daniel because she felt like it would be a while until she would be able to sit back and relax.

Cora was missing from the sheriff's station, that was one thing for sure. Regina couldn't believe it, she had thought they had locked her up tight. They had cast powerful spells to keep her in. They had taken her magic.

Regina had an inkling as to how she escaped, though.

Picking up her phone, she tapped in a number. Despite their differences, and despite the fact that she couldn't believe she was doing this herself, she knew that this was the one thing that would bring them together.

"Sheriff's station-"

Regina wasn't necessarily pleased to hear Emma's voice on the other end, she would rather deal with Charming any day because he was too dumb and null to properly bite back or actually act snarky, but Regina knew Snow oozed from Emma and that was one of the reasons she hated her so much. The intelligence they both possessed at some times was actually quite sickening.

"I think I know how Cora got out," Regina said, cutting off Emma smoothly. She didn't bother to introduce herself, she knew Emma would already know who she was. Who wouldn't?

"Regina." Emma said, and she couldn't be sure whether she was addressing her directly or if she had simply been muttering who she was when she realized it on the other end.

"Yes. That's me," Regina said, the eye-roll in her tone very clear. "And I still know how Cora got out."

Another long pause.

"Why should I trust you?" Emma began. Regina sighed; she knew Emma wasn't going to trust her unless she put up a good argument and maybe a fight; well, then again, she wouldn't exactly trust herself, either.

"Because we both have the same goal. We want Cora behind bars. And she will go after the thing I love most. Henry."

The following pause was much shorter than the last. Regina knew that it was because Emma was concerned about the well-being of Henry, but even the thought of him caused her stomach to twist itself into tight knots.

"And we don't want that." She heard Emma exhale sharply on the other end.

"Hear me out?" she tried.

"Very well."

"The only way Cora could've escaped is if someone let her out," Regina began. "Someone with access to magic. Now, not many people here have magic. Try to think of a few. There's me, you, Gold, and Blue." The last name sounded bitter on her tongue. She bit it hard, trying to force the bad memories with her away. "Is there anyone else you know?" She spoke slowly so the Charming descendant would be able to comprehend. She understood Ursula had magic, but she doubted her old ally would be senseless enough to let out Cora.

"Not that I know of... But there's only one name on that list that, when he has one thing he wants, he will stop at nothing to do. And that's Gold."

"Good. I'll meet you at Granny's in say, half an hour, and then we can go get Gold?"

"Sounds good."

Regina didn't really want to admit she had just formed an alliance with her old enemy.


	16. SHE'S COMING

"So... we get searching, then?" Regina stiffly nodded. A few years ago, if anyone had told her she would be in this position, she would've rolled her eyes and snorted. But that would have to be a while ago. Now, she was absolutely positive that anything could happen, old or new, or maybe both.

"Our best bet is to find Gold. Even if he didn't do it, we can figure out a way to find out who did do it." Emma nodded uneasily, and Regina knew that if they planned on working together they were going to have to lose this cold attitude. Not in the mood to say this, she simply shook her head and lead- well, tried to lead Emma out of the restaurant. The old sheriff seemed to want to play follow-the-leader, so Regina simply stepped back and allowed her to go her way.

"Now what do you propose if it isn't Gold?" Emma said after a long silence (minus the clicking of heels).

"I have no idea," Regina said. It was true, of course, but it was also a lie. She couldn't believe she actually felt guilty for neglecting the fact her old friend was in town- but Ursula wouldn't do something like that, she reminded herself for the second time.

"Typical," Emma sighed, reaching into her pocket when her phone buzzed. She switched it off, and Regina figured she had better do that too. Her phone felt warm to the touch when she went to retrieve it from her purse, however, and she frowned. She hadn't used it in a while, and they hadn't been out in the heat for very long. Mostly in air conditioning.

When she pulled it out, however, she realized she had been bombarded with a load of texts.

SHE'S COMING.

SHE'S COMING.

SHE'S COMING.

SHE'S COMING.

SHE'S COMING.

Over and over again, in thick lettering, SHE'S COMING was displayed across Regina Mill's cell phone screen. She let out an audible gasp before switching the phone off so she wouldn't have to stare at the disturbing lettering anymore. But the words had already burned themselves into her brain. Every step she took, the words came back.

Emma must've heard her gasp, because she spun around.

"Something wrong?" Regina tried to let out a laugh, only it came out as a cough.

"I'm fine. Just... um, I thought..." Her voice trailed off, and she hoped Emma would let it slide. She already appeared to have shrugged it off when she turned around and continued briskly walking.

She tried to push it out of her mind, but she felt the urge to switch her phone on and see who had been texting. She chose not to, instead, because she didn't want to freak herself out in front of Emma and make everyone think she had gone mad. It was just spam, she told herself. Just a lot of spam. Or maybe someone's idea of a prank. Yes, a prank. That sounded about right, she told herself. But who would dare prank the Evil Queen?

She had no clue.

No, it had to be someone with more power than she did. Someone who wouldn't be afraid of her. And that wasn't many people at all. In fact, the only people she knew who had more power than she did at the moment were Emma, Rumplestiltskin, and Cora. She doubted any one of those would dare to prank her, though.

She sucked in a deep breath, focusing on what was in front of her at the moment. Dwelling on a particular subject wasn't going to help anyone, and she knew it.

"Now what do you propose we do?" Emma managed to squeak once they had reached Gold's shop, sitting there forlornly, looking a little shabby. Regina snorted at Emma's question.

"We go inside," she said, that duh tone lacing her voice. Emma seemed mildly surprised.

"No, I mean, what do we say to Gold? How do we know that he isn't lying to us, for example?" Regina shrugged.

"You're the one that can use magic here, not me." Emma shot her a glare.

"But you have more experience with it." Emma couldn't stop the words once they had come out, of course Regina couldn't use magic because the temptation was too strong. Regina raised an eyebrow, and she sighed.

"You don't want to use it," Regina said slowly. "because you're afraid of becoming addicted to it. Magic makes you feel powerful, doesn't it." Emma nodded, she felt slightly shocked that Regina could read her like that. It was an odd sensation. Regina let out a loud sigh.

"I'll tell you what... We can both team up this time if Gold tries to get away. Or if we need to see if he's telling the truth. I'll make sure you won't get addicted, I wouldn't do that to Henry." The words tasted bitter on her tongue, and she wished more than anything she could see that bright smile of his again, but she knew if he saw her again he would be doing anything but smiling.

"I can't believe I'm saying this... but, okay."

Regina nodded, before hesitantly walking up to Gold's shop and pushing the door open, the hinges moaning slightly and the all-familiar sound of that little bell of his tinkling.

* * *

**_My block finally decided to grace me for a moment, and I was able to spit out a few more words again, so I suppose this means back to frequent updates again! :)_**

**_And on that note..._**

**_Spring break is coming up soon, so no more school and more writing time! Ahahaha, unless I happen to go on vacation. :|_**

**_Thank you all, and please read, review, favorite, and follow!_**


	17. Propositions

"I'm sorry I'm going to have to let you down, dearie, but I haven't let Cora out. She is a mad sociopath, and she's most likely out to seek revenge on me, and she could possibly hurt Belle in the process." Regina sighed.

It had been a long period of constant demanding, yelling, and even threatening at points, and all they had were empty hands, metaphorically speaking. In the end, though, Regina knew he had to be telling the truth. Gold had no reason to lie, or did he? But, then again, who would unleash, as Gold referred to her, a "sociopath" onto the town?

No one in their right mind would. But what about someone "mad"? Regina was positive Jefferson had magic; he needed it to operate the hat. She wasn't sure where this idea would lead her, but she knew she had no choice. This meant protecting Henry and Daniel, and she wasn't sure what she would do if she lost one of them. Would she become the Evil Queen again? Only Cora knew the answer to that, and that knowledge was the difference between the entire town's life and death.

"Listen, is there anything you can do to help? We have to find out who let Cora out at all costs," Regina prodded. She didn't expect Gold to help them, but she had a feeling he would help himself and Belle. Cora was out for blood, and everyone knew it.

"Well, dearie, give me one reason I should help you," Gold sneered. "I can handle Cora on my own if she comes after me."

"And frighten or endanger Belle?" Regina pressed. "There's only one of her, after all, and when she's gone, you'll be sorry." Emma shot her a glare, but Regina kept her cool, she was going to deal with Gold, God help her.

She was in luck today, because she could see Gold press his lips together tightly and swallow, hard. These movements were so slightly distinct she almost had to squint to see them. Most of the time, Gold concealed his emotions well, but there were exceptions like this when she could easily catch him off-guard.

"Then what do you propose?" he growled.

"Cora is after the dagger," Regina swallowed. "And we need to find out where it is so we can stop her. If she gets ahold of that dagger, she can control you and she can commit mass murder."

"The dagger has stayed safe in my possession for decades, it isn't going to slip away now," he sneered. But was that possibly doubt she heard in his voice?

"Wait a minute, how do you know that?" Emma prodded, that look on her face that told Regina she was ready to blow the roof off of Gold's shop.

"She told me," Regina admitted, allowing her gaze to drop onto the ground. "When she kidnapped me."

"And you didn't tell me?" The unbelief, the shock Emma held in her head seemed to be forced out into her tone. Regina forced her gaze up, and she defiantly refused to answer. "What else do you know?" Emma pressed.

"Nothing, that was all she told me."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, dearies, but there's a storm coming and I suggest we get to the point here before time ticks itself out. In other words, ticktock." Emma nodded.

"Right. Well, Gold, what do you propose?" Gold stayed silent for a moment. "Regina, what about you?" Emma sighed.

"It could be Jefferson," Regina admitted even though she knew it was a foolish, antic, thought. She couldn't allow anything, anyone, to slip away when they possibly could be the end of the entire town of Storybrooke as they knew it. She ignored the odd stares Gold and Emma were giving her. "He has magic, I believe he operated the hat before. He's not in his right mind, either, and I believe you know that first hand," she said, the look on Ema's face was priceless.

"How do you know that-"

"Like I've said, I have eyes everywhere. Now, everyone in Storybrooke has their own reasons. I'm sure he has his own. He definitely could've released Cora singlehandedly, now that magic has returned to Storybrooke."

"You're right," Emma groaned. "I can't believe we forgot about him."

"At least we know who we're after, now," Regina said. "Gold, do you have a tracking potion? I know you did before, I-"

"I believe your very Charming friend used up the last of my supply," Gold quipped. "But I can prepare a new batch." Regina nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Emma asked impatiently. "We have a madman to be going after."

* * *

_**Ok, so I will not lie, this chapter was extremely OOC, which isn't good news; my spark SHOULD be back after last episode, after all, it was FANTASTIC and probably the best we've seen in a while... I cried in it, so that probably means things are back to normal. -_-**_

_**Hopefully by the next chapter my writing spark will be back...**_

_**R&R!**_


	18. The Mad Hatter

"Hello, can I buy... a cup of coffee?" Jefferson asked, speaking as politely as he could and handing the waitress a heavy tip. She eyed him for a moment, before rushing off to the kitchen.

Jefferson took a sea at the bar and began to fiddle with one of the napkins from the dispenser. It felt a little out of character for him, but he supposed after what had just happened he had a right to be a slight bit shaken.

The waitress placed a steaming cup of liquid on the table and he nodded gratefully, before lifting the cup to his mouth. Ugh. He hated coffee, he had never really had a thing for it, so why had he even ordered it? He set it back down and licked his lips.

The sound of the door opening rang into his ears, sounding crisp and clear, somehow like a pitcher of water.

"Jefferson?" He winced, oh no, of course it was Regina here, and-

Was that Emma? Was that Emma's voice he was hearing? Oh, gods, this meant trouble, he knew this for a fact, so he quickly got out of his seat to meet Emma and Regina face-to-face before one of them could pull him out of the chair.

"Ladies," he said, coldly addressing the two of them.

Emma looked like she was wearing ratty old jeans that looked to be ages old now, and her red leather jacket, which was odd because he rarely saw her in that old thing for... how long now? Regina was dressed in her usual attire, which, needless to say, wasn't about to win her a fashion show, not in his book. Although Vanessa might've worn something along those lines.

"Jefferson," Emma said brutally. He nodded in her direction.

"Cut the crap already, you know what we came here for, so you better shut up and start talking," Regina snapped, ignoring the fact she had contradicted herself.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jefferson's tone seemed to sound like a sneer, and almost conniving, in a manner of speaking.

"Cora. You let her out, and by gods, if you do not tell us where she is right now I will rip your heart out in front of everyone in this restaurant. Is that clear?" Regina hissed. Emma looked like someone had slapped her across the face with a dead fish, and she rewarded Regina for her blunt comment with a hard stomp on the foot. Jefferson figured it had been intended to be discreet, but Emma wasn't exactly that sneaky, not at least any time he had seen. Absolutely priceless, he thought smugly.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have no clue what you're talking about whatsoever," he sneered.

"Really? Because I do hope your dear Grace will be-"

"Listen, Regina, I don't think he's lying." Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Because of your so-called 'superpower'? Tell me this, Mrs. Swan, why is it so that you think you can tell when someone's lying? Ambition? It isn't a superpower. I can tell when someone is lying. It's called common sense. Please get a dose of some." She turned her attention back to Jefferson.

"As for you... you might not be lying about the fact that you let Cora, but you do know where she is, and by gods, we need to know. She can kill all of us. Please, Jefferson." Emma looked like she was in shock, Regina's demeanor had changed dramatically in the past few seconds and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

Jefferson let out a sigh. "I... You are right. I know where she is. But tell me, what do I get out of it?" Regina smiled.

"You save the town. And protect your family. That's something I couldn't do." Jefferson bit his lip, Emma could tell she was getting through to him. Normally, she would've said something, spoken up, but she was in too much of a state of shock to do that.

"You... and you're sure they'll be okay, all of them?" Jefferson questioned.

"Of course."

Jefferson sucked in a deep breath. "I know this much... listen carefully, because I'll only say it once, now..."


	19. Leads

"I came back to my house after getting breakfast at Granny's early in the morning, a couple of days ago. I noticed the front door was ajar, I figured it was Grace and that she'd forgotten to close the door. So I went inside, locked the door, walked upstairs to her room, but she was still sleeping soundly in her bed." Regina nodded, urging him to go on and get to the point.

"I went downstairs again, and this time the door was open, again. I heard footsteps somewhere around upstairs, so I panicked and ran up to check on Grace, she was awake now from all the racket but there still seemed to be no one there." Jefferson paused to take another breath, and Emma shot Regina an odd look, as if asking her if Jefferson was really feeding them resourceful, or important information, for that matter.

"So I took Grace and the two of us went to go see where the noise was coming from, it sounded like my tailoring room. I opened the door to it, and there was just this huge mess-" Jefferson used his arms to demonstrate. "all over the place. And all my hats were missing, including the one Emma made. It works. So what I'm guessing is-"

"Cora stole your hat and used it to escape from the prison," Emma finished. Regina nodded, it did make sense, now that she gave it some thought. How Cora had found access to magic in her cell was beyond her thoughts, but this was Cora they were thinking about, and with her, anything really was possible.

"But there's one thing we're overlooking. How was Cora able to access her magic when she was already restrained?" Regina questioned. She didn't want to disregard a single detail, not when it could be the reason for their failure.

"I'm more concerned where she is now, not how she got out. Thanks to Jefferson, at least we have a lead now, instead of blindly stumbling around in the darkness," Emma quipped. Regina rolled her eyes, she didn't want to deal with her insolence now, although there didn't appear to be a way out of this situation.

"I don't want to miss anything here, if we do this, we're going to be professional, Miss Swan," Regina said, sending a glare in her enemy's direction. "Besides, I have more experience with these type of things." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Right."

Regina ignored her snarky remark. "Now, did you have someone positioned, I don't know, someone to supervise her? Maybe a security camera, of sorts? I wouldn't imagine she knows about technology, after all, it's really probably her first week in town."

Emma nodded, frowning at Regina's cold attitude. Regina looked a bit surprised she could comprehend her mother- or someone of that particular caliber, but she pretended not to notice.

"Yeah, um, I think David was positioned there." The look Regina got on her face after hearing that seemed almost priceless; Emma wished she had her camera with her.

"Miss Swan, I do hope you are joking when you tell me that you left the biggest idiot in the town to handle the most dangerous woman in the world," she spat angrily, although one could best describe the look on her face as slightly amused. At least she hadn't referred to David as the biggest idiot on the globe.

"Umm... nope. But in all honesty, Regina, David seemed perfectly capable of taking care of Cora. I mean, she was magically restricted, not to mention the fact that you never dropped by once to see how we were doing as of protection." She paused here, letting the information sink in. Regina nodded.

"So maybe we've all had out fair share in the blame. But she was under your custody, Miss Swan, your family is now running the sheriff's station, so you should've looked out for the station yourself." Emma swallowed, Regina couldn't help but allow a smirk to twist across her face, she knew she had made a point and perhaps even struck a core at some point.

"Arguing about whose fault it was as in terms of how Cora escaped is not going to aid us in defeating her," Jefferson said, reminding the two that he was most certainly there and he had a brain.

"Jefferson's right," Emma deadpanned. "We need to deal with Cora ourselves, dwelling on the past isn't going to change the present." Regina nodded.

"So what do you propose we do?" Regina said, once she had finally found her voice.

"Do you have something that Cora once possessed? Any object that could be used for the purpose of tracking her magically?" Jefferson asked. He sounded a lot more calm than Regina knew he actually was, which was a bit surprising, considering the circumstances.

Regina and Emma both paused to think for a moment, but, come to think of it, there really wasn't anything Cora had given her, not anything that she had remembered.

"I don't think so..." Jefferson nodded and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I guess we'll just have to find her another way, then."


	20. Twists

Regina nervously paced in front of the window, the sound of her ebony-shaded stiletto heels clicking piercing Emma's hearing, her expression nearly emotionless. Both women sighed, although not quite simultaneously.

"Are you positive that spying on her is the right idea?" Emma began. "I mean, I don't doubt your predominant nature of spying on other people... it's just that, well..." she paused for a moment, inhaled sharply, then shrugged. Jefferson nodded vigorously.

"Of course. I've done this many times." He grabbed the scope and placed it in front of the window, but Emma grabbed his arm and pulled it away from the device.

"What the hell do you mean, you've done this many times?" Anger was written all over her face, and he nervously shrugged and let out a laugh.

"Miss Swan, you may rest assured, if spying on her means that we're protecting the town in the progress, by all means, what's holding you back?" Regina deadpanned. Emma sheepishly shrugged and directed her attention away from the black, glassy surface of the scope.

"I still don't like the idea of it. I mean, what happens if she finds out and tries to... well... I don't know... lash back? Like, for example, kill us?" Regina snorted and rolled her eyes.

"She doesn't want you, she wants... well, she wants my happiness. And that's Henry. And you'd better as hell be fighting with all you can for him, otherwise I'm going to take him back from you," she joked, although Emma could almost certainly hear the pain in her voice at the mention of her son.

"Regina..." she started, her consternation from the woman who she now realized had lost everything she practically loved displayed clearly in her tone. Dismayed, she watched as that very woman shook her head.

"Now, Jefferson, what's the plan?" Regina asked simply, clapping her hands together. He shrugged and took a quick glance inside the scope.

"We're on the lookout for Cora. Luckily, it seems as if the Storybrooke Clock Tower was indeed a very good place to use as a lookout point. You really can see everything from here." He paused. "And you're quite certain she said she'd be somewhere in town?" Regina nodded, glancing down at the most recent text from August.

"She didn't say it, August did. Well, I mean-" Regina began, before she was cut off by Emma.

"Wait... August is here?" she began, before she was sharply cut off by a very pissed-looking Regina.

"Does it really matter when we have a sociopath on the loose?" She snapped, quicker than Emma would've assumed she would take to think up a response. Emma decided to take that little remark as a do-first/think-later sort of thing, and she simply left it at that.

"Touché. Now, when is she coming around here?" Emma asked s-l-o-w-l-y. She still needed some space to think about today's earlier events, and still talk at the same time.

"Sorry, I... I didn't mean to snap." Judging by the look on Emma's face, the woman was clearly surprised to see the former mayor to be apologizing. "There's just a lot on my mind right now."

And there was. She had finally found out who the odd texts had been coming from. Apparently it was August, which was quite odd. He was supposed to be missing, but that wasn't the biggest thing she was worrying about.

The thing she was most nervous about was that Cora had been the person who'd sent the texts. Which meant that she had somehow found her way to August. She hadn't cared about August- or whatever happened to him, for that matter- but she didn't quite know why she cared now. She suspected it was because she was changing, now... was that Daniel's doing?

She forced the thoughts from her mind and settled her gaze on the scope. There was work she had to do, and she couldn't waste any valuable time on idle thoughts.

"I just don't get it," Jefferson began, slicing through the awkward silence like a knife. "I mean, if she's coming, then shouldn't she... just teleport?" Regina shook her head.

"Magic here... it's different. One of the reasons it was so hard for me to operate magic here was because... well, because dark magic isn't possible to use here. Not unless you inhale something, like squid ink, or use a magically prepared item here. See... there's only two ways for magic to work. Anomalies, or sometimes... sometimes thinking about... well, it works the same way using good magic does."

"Wait... if you know this, then why didn't you just use good magic and get Henry back from me?" Emma interjected. Regina sighed.

"See... the thing is... when you're using good magic, it doesn't... you don't use it the same way you use dark magic. Dark magic... it's created by imaging the worst thing you can, something that makes your blood boil whenever you think about it. But good magic... you have to believe that what you're doing is good. However, if you really, truly believe that what you're doing is... is good, even if it's bad, if you really trick yourself, then it can work. But the hard thing for me was... I had a heart. And I knew that what I was doing wasn't right. That was why I needed Rumplestiltskin's book to operate my magic." Emma nodded in understanding.

"But Cora doesn't have a heart. That's why it's easier for her to trick herself into believing that what she was doing was good." she paused for a moment. "But... using good magic when you're used to using dark magic is very tiring... my guess is that she's conserving any magic she has to kill me." the words sounded somehow bittersweet coming out of her mouth.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Come on... can she really, like, fool herself into thinking killing people is a good thing?" Regina shrugged.

"She's a woman who's had her heart broken. And that can make you do unspeakable things." she paused, an odd expression flitting across her features.

"What's wrong?" Regina bit her lip.

"Cora... I think she's here."

* * *

_**Yep... you all are totally allowed to kill me. *hides face* I'M SORRY!**_

_**My block FINALLY disappeared, which means less waiting and more chapters XD! Thank you all for your patience, and as always, leave me a review, please!**_


	21. Past The Point Of No Return

"Why, hello, darlings," Cora said, appearing in a billowing purple cloud of smoke. "But were you really stupid enough to think I'd just... well, walk over here?" she laughed.

"You have limited amounts of magic," Regina growled. "You're going to get yourself killed, Mother." Cora simply laughed, an action that was disheartening.

"Oh, I know that. But I trust you to make the right decision, dear," Cora said, leaning out and takingRegina's cheek in her hand. Both Emma and Jefferson tensed noticeably, but Regina shook her head, letting them know it was all right.

"And what is that?" Even though Regina was trying to sound brave, the sound of her voice faltering betrayed her true emotions. Cora laughed, the sound of her voice grating as she appealed to her.

"My child, Regina, don't you see? if you just come with me... no one else will have to get hurt. We can be together," she said.

"I wish I could," she murmured quietly. "But... I'm sorry. I... I just... I can't. Because..." she took in a deep breath. "You aren't the woman I knew before. You aren't anything like her. You... you aren't my mother," she said, Cora flinched at the sound of her daughter's tone, but all she was able to croak out were a few words.

"But I love you." Regina frowned and shook her head.

"This... this isn't love. This is... this is just... wanting. You want me to be by your side, because you think that if you have me, it'll fill up the hole in your heart." she chuckled nervously.

"I mean, I thought that, too, for the longest time. With Henry. But, then, I realized, it was unfair of me to lean on him. So... even though it hurts more than I can bear to let him go..." her smiled vanished.

"I know I have to." she shook her head. "And you know what, Mother? I'm tired of you leaning on me," she spat. "I'm tired of being your emotional crutch. You're only pushing me down so you can stand up... well, I'm sick of it. And I want you to get out and stay out." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Cora said, her tone completely monotone. When she lifted her hand again, she was holding a fireball. "But you know I have to do this." Regina squeezed her eyes shut.

"REGINA!" Emma yelled, tossing the Evil Queen out of the way and shoving Cora to the floor in the process. Cora laughed and picked herself up easily, eying Emma warily.

"If you want her, you're gonna have to go through us," she said bravely, even though fear flickered in her eyes.

"Wait!" Jefferson shouted as Emma charged towards Cora.

"STOP!" Regina yelled, pushing the two apart. "Just stop." Her voice was a mere mumble now. "Too many people have gotten hurt because of me... I don't want anyone else to die." Cora froze, her gaze flicking up from Emma to Regina again. Her hand lowered a little, but she still held a fiery orb in her hand. Emma tensed up a little.

"Please... just stop."

"Emma!" Snow and Charming dashed up the staircase and froze at the scene before them.

"What the hell-" Charming began, before Cora cut them off.

"I will be taking Regina," she said simply. "That is all."

"I'm not letting anyone else get hurt," Regina said, determined. "And I know who you are, now... who you will always be." She frowned in disgust.

* * *

It's always too late... too late to say you're sorry. Too late to let go of the mixed emotions surrounding you. Too late to beg forgiveness and just... just pray that someday, somehow, you'll be able to let go.

Regina finally realized this. Had it been her true fate, all along... to kill her own mother? Now both her parents were gone... and it was all her own fault.

"Regina, it wasn't your fault," Jefferson said, as if it were true. She laughed, the empty sound of it echoing throughout the room.

"I... I just wish... I'd thought before I'd acted," she mumbled.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Snow asked. "I mean, I know you've done a lot of bad things before... but... you can't be held responsible for something like this." Regina nodded.

She didn't hate Snow anymore. She couldn't. Well... she couldn't hate anything, or anyone else, for that matter. All she could really hate was... well, herself.

Regina had always known herself to be a killer. Cold-hearted. Blackened. But, lately, she'd thought that could change. She'd truly believed that if she just had someone to be there for her, to guide her through the way, then she'd be all right.

* * *

"Regina... I know you don't want to talk about it... but I just have to say it... I'm sorry. For not being there. I wish I had... I wish things could've gone differently." Regina wiped away a stray tear.

"No... it isn't your fault. Well, it isn't really anyone's fault, but mine. I just wish..."

"Hey." Daniel took her hand into his. "It's okay, Regina. I understand. But Cora's death was for the defense of others and for yourself. It was protecting your loved ones, standing up for what you knew what was right." Regina shook her head miserably.

"Daniel... I appreciate your kindness, really, I do, but... I just..." she sighed. "When Henry was my son... I really did love him more than anything. If I was hard on him, it was because I wanted him to lead the perfect life. I wanted him to be happy. To give him everything I never got for myself." Daniel watched her intently, but she sighed and her gaze fell to the floor.

"And I realized that I was changing for him... I just wanted him to show me affection, just a sliver of it... and when I did... my heart melted away. I changed... I went back to the best version of me, the me I thought I had lost long, long ago. I found me... but, then..." She bit her lip until it drew blood.

"I just realized that... maybe Cora could've changed. Maybe, if I had just tried to understand, then I could've saved her, after all, it was what Henry did for me. And I started to regret, really really regret killing her... but there's no going back from killing." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"And, now, both of my parents are dead, and it's my fault." She put her face in her hands, tensing slightly when Daniel put a hand on her shoulder.

"I understand. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love... and I know what you're thinking. How could I know this, right?" He sighed. "Well... it was a while back, before I met you. I used to have a sister named Maria..." Regina nodded.

"The one you said died."

"Yes... she did. But, you see, it was... well, I thought it was my fault." He sighed and looked down at the carpet.

"I remember my parents asked me to look after her for a little. They left us alone for a moment... just a short time. I remember her telling me we should go for a walk, but I made her stay where she was. I fell asleep... when I woke up, it was dark, and she was gone."

"I panicked. My parents hadn't come back, and I didn't know what to do. So, I walked around in the woods for a while... somewhere along the path, I found some wolf prints... she'd been eaten by a giant wolf. I'd never seen pawprints that big." He sighed.

"There wasn't anything left... just a trail of blood along the snow... but we knew it was her, because we found a tiny scrap of her handkerchief..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Regina said. "I... I don't know how to react." Daniel shook his head.

"For the longest time, I blamed myself. I told myself that if I had kept a better eye on her, none of it would've happened. But... then, I realized..." he paused. "I wasn't helping anyone with my sadness. I was only making those around me miserable... so I let it go. We moved, and then I found you." He paused. "The gods work in mysterious ways. When we lose something... they always give something back. I understand that now."

* * *

_**Hey, guys! I regret to say it, but the next chapter should be the last. To those who R&R'd, thank you for staying with the story this long! :-)**_


	22. End

"I don't wanna go, Mom," Maria whined. Regina laughed and scooped up her eight-year-old daughter in her arms.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I promised Daniel we would go to the stables today to go ride horses. Don't you want to go ride?" Maria's eyes brightened.

"Yes!" Henry smiled.

"Hey, Mom, can I come?" Henry asked hopefully. Regina looked up at Emma.

"I suppose... if it's all right with your mom." Emma smiled and nodded in approval.

"It's fine with me, just get him home before sundown, or my mom is gonna have a cow." Regina laughed.

"Thanks, Emma," Regina said, sending a smile in her friend's direction. Ever since they had come home, any hard feelings had been resolved, and Regina most certainly was happy for herself and Ursula (who she soon learned had a thing going on with Jefferson).

"Hey, it's no problem. It's just good to be back..." she gestured to the woods surrounding them. "I mean, I never really thought I'd see this place again... it really is the "Enchanted" forest, isn't it?" Regina grinned, a gesture that rippled across her features smoothly, cutting across her face like a knife.

"You know, for so long, I was afraid that coming back would wreck everything I had built up for myself... I thought that people would remember all the havoc I caused and go back to hating me..." she laughed nervously. "But now, I tell myself that I keep forgetting how wonderful all of you are... you're able to look on, you gave me a second chance, and I sincerely thank you for all that." Emma put a hand on Regina's shoulder.

"Don't thank me, thank yourself." Regina laughed and wiped a tear away. "I mean, I'm just glad I got to meet the real you."

"Thank you, Emma," Regina said with a smile.

"Guys! Maria and I want to go riding!" Henry whined. Regina smirked.

"I suppose so. I'll se you later, Emma," she said, sending a wave in the blonde's direction.

"Bye," Emma said with a wave.

* * *

"I hate walking," Henry muttered. "I mean, it's cool that we're all home and stuff, but I miss technology. And iPads. And cars."

"No joke," Regina said. "You know, funny story, actually, when I first got to Storybrooke, I was the only one who didn't know how to operate technology," she said with a smirk.

"Really?" Maria and Henry chorused at the same time.

"Yeah, I remember on my 'first' day there, the toaster scared the living daylights out of me," Regina said. Henry snickered, but Maria just stared off into the distance blankly. Finally, Maria broke the silence.

"What's a 'toaster'?"

"It cooks bread," Henry said quickly.

"Hmm," Maria said thoughtfully.

"Hey! Look, Vanessa is up ahead!" Henry shouted, motioning towards Ursula, Regina's good friend.

"Vanessa! Hi!" Maria shouted, Regina smiled, her daughter was just so cute when she yelled.

"Jefferson, look, it's Regina and the kids," Vanessa muttered to her husband.

Regina knew about the two of them for a while, Vanessa had been Grace's mother but a mistake with the hat portal had caused her to become trapped in another realm. Since Jefferson had been teaching her magic beforehand, Vanessa had attempted to use magic to transport herself back home. However, the spell had backfired and caused her to accidentally morph into an octopus. The only way to get her home was via Triton's trident, but she had failed to get it. However, the realm-jumping issue was solved when Regina had cast her curse, ultimately bringing the two back together again.

"Oh, hey, guys, I didn't see you there," Jefferson called back as the two groups approached each other. "How are things going?"

"Great," Regina confirmed. "We're heading over to the stables. How is Grace doing?"

"Good, she's making friends pretty quickly. In fact, she's at her friend's house right now," Vanessa said with a smile, patting Jefferson on the back.

"So tired of walking," Henry moaned, so everyone would know that yes, he was still there and was very bored.

"Sorry, I think Henry wants to go riding now," Regina said with a little smile tugging at her lips.

"Oh, no, it's perfectly fine, we were just going to head home anyway," Jefferson said.

"I'll see you around, Regina," Vanessa called before they made their way down separate paths in the fork in the road.

* * *

"Maria, why don't you and Henry go pick out a pony?" Regina suggested to her daughter.

"Come on, Maria," Henry said. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

"Hey! You got a head start!" Maria shouted as she flew past Henry. Regina smiled.

"Regina," Daniel said warmly, embracing his wife.

"Daniel," Regina said happily. The two pulled apart briefly.

"So, I decided on this one really nice ride, it's the same one we used to ride at night when we first met. It might look different at daytime, but I think it'll look nice, still. At least we'll be able to make out the greenery." Regina smiled.

"You're great," she mumbled.

"No, you're great." Regina smirked.

"No, you are."

"No-"

"Oh, forget it, just shut up and kiss me already," she said, pulling him in for an abrupt kiss.

"Eeew," Maria shrieked. Henry smiled and patted her on the head. In the end, all of their wishes had come true, and he knew that in the end, if you worked hard enough to change the future, then people could learn to look past the past as if it was never there to begin with.

FIN

* * *

_**So... it's the end. ;_; Why do I feel like crying...? **_

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! ^^ This story would not have happened with all your support! I also send a big thank-you to all those who stayed with the story the whole way, from the writer's block to the sad Monday mornings. :-) YOU ROCK! Stable Queen forever!  
**_

_**-Samantha M.**_


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